Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on Nigerian youths to confront the challenges facing the country’s electoral process, including the manual collation of election results.Atiku stated this at the inauguration and conference of a political movement, Nigerian Youths for Atiku (NYFA) on Friday in Abuja.

The 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate urged the youth to pressurise the National Assembly to amend the electoral law to allow for electoral collation of election result. According to him, it is doubtful if the current National Assembly will facilitate a new Electoral Act that allows for electronic collation of election results to be successful.He said that political leaders always did not want to improve the electoral process because they wanted to explore the loopholes in the process for their own advantage.He said that such would only continue if the youth allowed it.“I remember the last Turkish presidential elections. I was sitting and watching the results coming electronically.“By the Turkish constitution, you must score 50 per cent to be elected as a president.“The current president scored 49.5 per cent. There was no manual collation but they said he didn’t score 50 per cent,” he said.He further said: “We all know that in our arithmetic or mathematics we say if you get 49.5 you round it up to 50, not so?“That was what we were taught in school. They didn’t round it up to 50. Instead they ordered another round of election.“The guy who came third with about 4 per cent now endorsed the first candidate, and when the results were ccounted it came out exactly 49.5 plus 4 per cent and Erdogan was declared winner.”The former vice president noted that the collation was done all electronically, with no room for a manual coalition at the ward, at the local government, at the state.“No INEC chairman, commissioners writing result. There was absolutely nothing like manual collation. So, we really have a long way to go.“There are challenges but you must dedicate yourselves to confronting those challenges. If you don’t dedicate yourself to confronting those challenges you have no future,’’ he said.Abubakar, who said he had been in politics since his student days because he wanted a better future for Nigerian youth, urged them to rise up and defend their future.He emphasised that the youth must rise up and protect their future, saying their future was now in their hands.“At my time, what we wanted to see was a return to democracy. We fought the military. I was nearly killed. I went on exile. There is nothing they did not do to me.“What I wanted to see was a return to democracy. We have seen a return to democracy. But has democracy provided us what we were expecting it to provide us? No.“That now becomes your own responsibility. Ours is to guide you and give you the necessary leadership,’’ he said.Abubakar commended the leadership and members of NYFA for the honour done him, adding that the association was not just about him, but the advancement of Nigeria’s democracy.He urged the association to continue to contribute to the development of Nigeria’s democracy, particularly improving Nigeria’s electoral process.“This organisation is dedicated to the development of our youth, who are the future leaders of our country.“Don’t just see yourselves as youths but see yourselves as the leaders of this country in the future.“Commit and dedicate yourselves to the promotion and advancement of our democratic processes that will lead us to a much more united and prosperous country,’’ he said.In her remarks, NYFA President, Prof. Gold Emmanuel, described the NYFA, which birthed in 2024 after the 2023 general elections, as a way forward to shaping the future of the youth and generations to come.The Guest Speaker, Prof. Kolapo Eleka, a former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, urged Nigerian youth to push for electoral reforms now, not after election malpractices had occurred.“For example, we must push for direct transmission of resources at polling units to curb and prevalent, dubious conditions at higher levels,’’ Eleka said.He also stressed the need for statutory backing for technology introduced to improve the Nigerian election process, especially electronic transmission of election result.Emmanuel, a Senior Special Assistant to Abubakar on Communications and Intelligence, pledged the association’s commitment to supporting the vision of Abubakar.“Today marks a significant milestone in our journey to mobilise, empower and amplify the voices of Nigerian youths in the political process.“We gather at a time when our nation is at the crossroads, facing numerous challenges that require the energy, creativity and idealism of our generation.“As NYFA, we are committed to supporting the vision of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.“He is a leader who has consistently demonstrated leadership, provide the necessary platform for us to realize our aspiration and build a better future for ourselves and our nation,’’ she said.Emmanuel urged NYFA members to remain committed to their core values of inclusivity, social justice, and democratic participation.She also urged them to work together to build a movement that was truly representative of the diversity, talent, and resilience of Nigerian youths.Also, NYFA Director of Communications, Mr Dare Dada, described Atiku Abubakar as a lover of youth worthy of emulation.Dare said the aim of NYFA movement was to galvanise Nigerian youth and make them to see that the future belonged to them.“What we are doing in NYFA is to bring the youth together, orientate them on their political strengthens, the need for them to come together and take the future in their hands in 2027,’’ Dare said.The highlight of the event was the inauguration of NYFA executives and state coordinators. (NAN)